Photographing KIngfishers: My Article at WildlifeSouth

Great job.

Thanks Bill, Mathew, Dan and Jack, greatly appreciate the kind comments.

Dan, I save that move for the marsh birds, confuses the gators.

AWESOME PHOTOS Steve, the kingfisher is what fasinated me into nature photography...i have some long shots but nothing like yours, i have a river(white river in indiana) that has some Kingfishers and one place theres' a cliff with soil showing. so this spring , i'll do some scouting, which is what i do best and maybe get lucky and get some nature photos on some perches..of course i'll set-up a blind..............tha​nks for the inspiration and tips.....Outdoorsman11

Outdoorsman11 wrote in post #11697796
AWESOME PHOTOS Steve, the kingfisher is what fasinated me into nature photography...i have some long shots but nothing like yours, i have a river(white river in indiana) that has some Kingfishers and one place theres' a cliff with soil showing. so this spring , i'll do some scouting, which is what i do best and maybe get lucky and get some nature photos on some perches..of course i'll set-up a blind..............tha​nks for the inspiration and tips.....Outdoorsman11

Thanks, Outdoorsman. I'm glad you enjoyed and hope that you get the results you're after.

It sounds like the location you mention might be prime breeding grounds. Good luck there but please use caution at nesting time, these birds require space. Don't want to stress them while they build the population.

Nighthound wrote in post #11700747
Thanks, Outdoorsman. I'm glad you enjoyed and hope that you get the results you're after.

It sounds like the location you mention might be prime breeding grounds. Good luck there but please use caution at nesting time, these birds require space. Don't want to stress them while they build the population.

Great point Steve. I don't think that can be stressed enough. Respect the wildlife folks. It's their home, we humans have messed it up enough as it is. Give them distance to live as they should.

Thankyou Steve, your lovely comments are very much appreciated. I guess I am very lucky, I travel a fair bit, and always seem to capture something, but rarely have I actually spent time like you do, in hides, or stalking, and I really admire your work! I keep dreaming of a trip to florida and the birds there! There really isn't an awful lot close to where I live, except down the road is an egret nesting colony, but the conditions there leave a lot to be desired, so often it is just pot luck to get something a bit better than ordinary.

Good article Steve! Probaby the cheapest blinds that I could get and looks quite camouflage to me (not to curious humans though ;P). I might consider your method this spring/summer.

"One day I hope to capture the ultimate Kingfisher photo of a female feeding her young."

I hope you achieve that shot soon and I look forward to it.

Great article and beautiful images, Steve. Those guys have been my nemesis. My best images of them are horrible. One of these days ...

luciddreamer wrote in post #11705392
Great point Steve. I don't think that can be stressed enough. Respect the wildlife folks. It's their home, we humans have messed it up enough as it is. Give them distance to live as they should.

Absolutely, nature first-photos are secondary.

catsith wrote in post #11714175
Thankyou Steve, your lovely comments are very much appreciated. I guess I am very lucky, I travel a fair bit, and always seem to capture something, but rarely have I actually spent time like you do, in hides, or stalking, and I really admire your work! I keep dreaming of a trip to florida and the birds there! There really isn't an awful lot close to where I live, except down the road is an egret nesting colony, but the conditions there leave a lot to be desired, so often it is just pot luck to get something a bit better than ordinary.

You're welcome Tina. I'm a firm believer that when we have to work to find the subjects and direct more attention and effort to "making" the shots we advance our skills quicker as well as gaining the important knowledge of animal behavior.

Muteki wrote in post #11718890
Good article Steve! Probaby the cheapest blinds that I could get and looks quite camouflage to me (not to curious humans though ;P). I might consider your method this spring/summer.

Thanks. The price is right and it gets the job done. Once you find the location then it's all about technique (and a little luck doesn't hurt either).

Darren09 wrote in post #11723230
"One day I hope to capture the ultimate Kingfisher photo of a female feeding her young."

I hope you achieve that shot soon and I look forward to it.

Thanks. It's tucked away in the back of my mind but ya gotta dream.

icassell wrote in post #11735067
Great article and beautiful images, Steve. Those guys have been my nemesis. My best images of them are horrible. One of these days ...

Thanks. Keep at it and you'll succeed. You just have to play by their rules.

I managed to get my first decent photo of a Kingfisher today. Lots of waiting around in a hide all weekend, getting cold feet. Today's first sighting was a pair flying by at top speed, then ten minutes later a female landed on a perch. I had time to take a single photo before she flew off. I saw her a few times more but never through the lens.
http://www.myphotograp​hic.com/photo.php?ph=3​16

myphotographic wrote in post #11744818
I managed to get my first decent photo of a Kingfisher today. Lots of waiting around in a hide all weekend, getting cold feet. Today's first sighting was a pair flying by at top speed, then ten minutes later a female landed on a perch. I had time to take a single photo before she flew off. I saw her a few times more but never through the lens.
http://www.myphotograp​hic.com/photo.php?ph=3​16

Congratulations on this great shot. With these birds patience and persistence are so important. I've stood in my make shift blind at 20F for three hours many mornings so I know how they make you work for it. You are so fortunate to have this species to photograph, they're incredibly colorful.

Good luck and please post more, looking forward to seeing them.

I plan to spend Saturday in the hide again. However it's fast approaching the start of breeding season, and under UK law you need a licence to photograph Kingfishers near their nests so there's going to be a limited window before I had to start showing restraint by finding something else to shoot.

Very nice article Steve and I hope to put it to use very soon. I found a nice spot last weekend for Kingfishers and already have my spot picked out. It was cold last weekend and the perch was covered in ice where the Kingfisher was repeatedly diving and coming back and shedding water on the limb. Unfortunately, it won't have nice light until the late afternoon so I will need to set up in the middle of the afternoon so hopefully the KF's drive to fish this spot will override it's wariness of my strange presence.

Superb set of shots as usual.

myphotographic wrote in post #11765142
I plan to spend Saturday in the hide again. However it's fast approaching the start of breeding season, and under UK law you need a licence to photograph Kingfishers near their nests so there's going to be a limited window before I had to start showing restraint by finding something else to shoot.

I hope you got some opportunities. I wish such laws were in place here for the good of the species. They seem to thrive here so they do manage on their own but a little added protection wouldn't hurt. It seems the Belted variety are pretty good about making their nest in fairly secluded places which I'm sure plays a role in their success as a species.

Candor wrote in post #11766591
Very nice article Steve and I hope to put it to use very soon. I found a nice spot last weekend for Kingfishers and already have my spot picked out. It was cold last weekend and the perch was covered in ice where the Kingfisher was repeatedly diving and coming back and shedding water on the limb. Unfortunately, it won't have nice light until the late afternoon so I will need to set up in the middle of the afternoon so hopefully the KF's drive to fish this spot will override it's wariness of my strange presence.

Superb set of shots as usual.

Thanks Mike, best of luck on your new location. I prefer daybreak and late afternoon/evening myself not only for the sweet light but also for the cooler temps in the warm months. SC summers can be pretty brutal. Please post your shots when you get 'em.